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Wow, it's hard to believe that another year has come and gone! Time flies when you're reading awesome books, huh?!

Vanessa and I have so much to look forward to in 2011!! Not only are there a ton of great books coming out, but we have some great Challenges for everyone to participate in, we'll be getting a rockin' new look AND we have a pretty incredible project that Vanessa has been working her butt off on ;o)

So yes, 2011 is going to be BOOKTASTIC!!

While I'm here, I thought I'd do a Reading Wrap-Up for 2010!

ISALYS'S FAVORITE READS OF 2010

Night Huntress Series by Jeaniene Frost {I inhaled all 4 books in like a week - I ♥ Bones!!}

Parasol Protectorate Series by Gail Carriger{Because Gail is a genius!}

Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel{Good girl gone bad then gone good then not sure...what's not to love?}

My Soul to Steal by Rachel Vincent {1/1/2011}
Angel at Dawn (Novel of the Upyr) by Emma Holly {1/4/2011}
When Beauty Tamed the Beast by Eloisa James {2/1/2011}

Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting {2/15/2011}This Side of the Grave by Jeaniene Frost {2/22/2011}
{I got to read the ARC *woot*}
Blood of the Rose (Tudor Vampire Chronicles #2) by Kate Pearce {2/28/2011}Treasure Me by Robyn DeHart {3/1/2011}Eternal Rider by Larissa Ione{3/1/2011}Evercrossed by Elizabeth Chandler {3/8/2011}
The Darkest Secret by Gena Showalter {4/1/2011}Where She Went by Gayle Forman {4/5/2011}
Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke's Heart by Sarah MacLean {4/26/2011}

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading and it asks us to...

Grab your current read

Open to a random page

Share a couple of “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title & author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers.

My teaser today is a bit long but it was wayyyy too good not to share!! Oh man, Chessie gone and messed up now. *oh snap*

Isalys's Teaser:

"She thought she was going to be sick. The one thing she'd sworn she would never do, the one place she'd always said she had too much self-respect to go, and here she was. She'd done it. And she hadn't even noticed.

More gently than she would have expected,his hands found hers and disentangled them from his jacket. He pushed her away, his gaze focused on the ground. He wouldn't even look at her. She was glad. She didn't want him to see her like this.

Random.org has chosen you to win our Autographed YA Pack which includes author signed copies of:
City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
Dark Flame by Alyson Noel {with bookmark}
Blue Bloods by Melissa De La Cruz

We all know who Jane Austen is; she is one of the literary geniuses who helped shape English Literature! She may not have written the mass number of novels that some of today's authors have, but her six published works have impacted people all over the world for over 200 years and that is no small accomplishment!

{As a matter of fact, next year will be the 200th anniversary that her first novel, "Sense & Sensibility" was published!}

So today, in honor of Miss Austen's birthday, we're going to tell you about our favorite Jane Austen story and why...

Isalys's Favorite!

I idolize Jane Austen and my very favorite of her stories is "Pride & Prejudice" published on 28 Jan 1813.

I think the real reason I've always loved this novel is because I've always felt a sort of kinship with the main character, Elizabeth Bennet. Lizzie is intelligent, witty, lively, proud, stubborn and defensive of her family, even when they annoy her.

And well, who doesn't love Mr. Darcy? I love the evolution of his character. From the aloof & arrogant man that we first met at the onset of the story to the romantic hero that won women's hearts everywhere!

Even considered a satire, Pride & Prejudice deals with issues of manners, upbringing, morality, education and marriage in the landed gentry society of early 19th-century England.

"Though the story's setting is characteristically turn-of-the-19th-century, it retains a fascination for modern readers, continuing near the top of lists of 'most loved books'. It has become one of the most popular novels in English literature, and receives considerable attention from literary scholars. Modern interest in the book has resulted in a number of dramatic adaptations and an abundance of novels and stories imitating Austen's memorable characters or themes. To date, the book has sold some 20 million copies worldwide." [Wikipedia]

Vanessa's Favorite!

My favorite is "Sense & Sensibility" published in 1811.

It's my favorite because it's the first time I was introduced to Jane Austen and her wonderful writing. I automatically fell in love with the characters and the storyline. Marianne is the naive hopeless romantic and Elinor is the level headed, strong head of the family. I felt their pain and despair at having to leave their only home and possessions behind when their father passed away. I lived vicariously through Marianne as she willingly gave her heart away to the dashing Mr. Willoughby only to have it ripped apart b/c money was more important to him than love. I also enjoyed Elinor's story as she was fighting against her heart and her love for the not-so-eligible Edward. My favorite man, though, has to be Colonel Brandon! He, in my opinion, is the hero of the story. He was always there for the family when they needed help the most and he cared for Marianne even when she didn't return the feelings. I ♥ this story!

What is your favorite Jane Austen story?

News Bits!

1) Sourcebooks, the world’s leading publisher of Jane Austen fiction, is offering a unique deal to readers who want to celebrate Jane by reading special editions of all six of Austen’s beloved novels in a 21st century format.

Special e-book editions of Pride and Prejudice, Emma,Sense and Sensibility, Northanger Abbey, Persuasionand Mansfield Parkwill be available for free for one day only. These celebratory editions include the full novels, plus the legendary color illustrations of the Brock brothers, originally created to accompany the books in 1898.

In addition to the Jane Austen classics, readers can also enjoy these bestselling Austen-inspired novels. The following bestselling e-books will be free on December 16th & 17th in honor of her birthday:

2) The Sunday Times in London reported on February 8, 2009 that "Hollywood studios are bidding to turn a radical reworking of Austen’s most popular book, now called Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, a parody to be published in April, into a blockbuster movie".

At a book-signing Q & A held at California State University Fullerton on April 23, 2009, Grahame-Smith reported that Pride and Prejudice and Zombies had officially been purchased by an undisclosed major film company to be produced as a feature film.

It was reported on December 11, 2009 that the film adaptation will be financed and distributed through Lionsgate. It was also reported that Natalie Portman will produce the film and star in the lead roleand David O. Russell will direct. The latter has left production because of scheduling conflicts.

I guess we'll just have to wait and see!

So again, Happy Birthday to Miss Austen!! Thank you for your contributions to the world of English Literature! Wish we could have met you!

This is just a friendly reminder that we're wrapping up first ever Holiday Scavenger Hunt 2010 which means that the finding letter is hiding in someone's blog roll right now!

Don't waste time...you have until tomorrow to find it to have all your letters to solve your mystery word!

Tell us....

Who's been playing along?

Are you guys finding all those letters?

Any new followers to our participating blogs?

And finally, are we having some fun with this?

Remember, the contest will end with the final letter this Wednesday, 12/15 and participants will have until 7:00 pm on Tuesday, 12/21 to submit their entry. The winner will be announced on Wednesday, 12/22. The package will ship immediately upon receipt of the winner's address so it should get there before the New Years!

Satisfy your undying hunger - for books! The new year is beginning and we know the majority of our close friends and family are going on a diet, I know I am {Vanessa}, so we need to find an outlet for our hunger. What better substitute than books! Let's devour ZOMBIE books! I only read one Zombie book this past year and I think it's time start piling up the bodies, er, I mean books! So start devouring!

Challenge Rules & Info:

Challenge STARTS January 1, 2011 and ENDS December 31, 2011

Sign up by filling your info in the Mr. Linky below {If you don't have a blog, you can use your FB, Goodreads, etc}

Read at least 10 Zombie books this year. They don't have to be ALL about Zombies, just have Zombies in them. Remember, the more the merrier! Here's a LIST of zombie books that may help :)

The books can be print, ebooks, and audio books.

Reread books ARE allowed, BUT, the review must be rewritten. You cannot use old reviews.

I'll have a post up each month with the Mr. Linky to have the reviews posted.

Challenges are open to non-bloggers. A review must be written and posted on a literary site, such as GoodReads, Amazon, etc.

Grab a button to show your Challenge spirit!

Lastly, have fun reading!

If you have any questions please feel free to email Vanessa at twerd413[at]gmail[dot]com or Isalys at booksoulmates[at]gmail[dot]com.

Winners were chosen using random.org. We will email those who we do not have addresses for already. You have until next Friday to get back to us with your address (if we don't already have it). If we haven't heard from you by then, a new winner will be chosen.

If you are still interested in more giveaways, check out our giveaways page {here}!

ALL ABOARD!! FULL STEAMPUNK AHEAD! This year we thought we'd do something a little different. Seeing as Steampunk is pretty new to us we thought it'd be fun to challenge ourselves as well as you guys! I'm adding my GoodReads LIST of Steampunk books as a guide. There are close to 200 books!

There will be prizes throughout the year. The months of the prizes will be chosen at random - you know, to keep things interesting, hehe. The prizes won't just be books… they can be anything from Bookmarks, to Giftcards, and possibly, if we're feeling frisky, maybe even a book tote! Who knows what the year may bring!

To power up your Steampunk engine, check out this super cool & informative site!Airship Ambassador

Challenge Rules & Info:

Challenge STARTS January 1, 2011 and ENDS December 31, 2011

Sign up by filling your info in the Mr. Linky below {If you don't have a blog, you can use your FB, Goodreads, etc}

Read at least 10 Steampunk books this year. Remember, the more the merrier!

The books can be print, ebooks, and audio books.

Reread books ARE allowed, BUT, the review must be rewritten. You cannot use old reviews.

I'll have a post up each month with the Mr. Linky to have the reviews posted.

Challenges are open to non-bloggers. A review must be written and posted on a literary site, such as GoodReads, Amazon, etc.

Grab a button to show your Challenge spirit!

Lastly, have fun reading!

If you have any questions please feel free to email Vanessa at twerd413[at]gmail[dot]com or Isalys at booksoulmates[at]gmail[dot]com.

Hi guys! We've decided to host this challenge again this year, but with some differences. All the iChallenges will be grouped into one nice big challenge {This saves us a whole lot of time!}. The themes will still be iVamp, iWitch, iFae, and iWere, yayyy! I know, we're excited too! We ♥ these themes!! I mean really, this challenge should be a snap. Who doesn't read books about Vamps, Weres, the Fae, and Witches right??

Challenge Rules & Info:

Challenge STARTS January 1, 2011 and ENDS December 31, 2011

Sign up by filling your info in the Mr. Linky below {If you don't have a blog, you can use your GoodReads, Facebook, etc}

Read at least 10 Vampy, Witchy, Fae-ish, or Were-ish books this year. Remember, the more the merrier!

The books can be print, ebooks, and audio books

Reread books ARE allowed, BUT, the review must be rewritten. You cannot use old reviews.

I'll have a post up each month with the Mr. Linky to have the reviews posted.

Challenges are open to non-bloggers. A review must be written and posted on a literary site, such as GoodReads, Amazon, etc.

Grab a button to show your Challenge spirit!

Lastly, have fun reading!

There will be prizes throughout the year. The months of the prizes will be chosen at random - you know, to keep things interesting, hehe. The prizes won't just be books… they can be anything from Bookmarks, to Giftcards, and possibly, if we're feeling frisky, maybe even a book tote! Who knows what the year may bring!

If you have any questions please feel free to email Vanessa at twerd413[at]gmail[dot]com or Isalys at booksoulmates[at]gmail[dot]com.

You can also send a Direct Message to Vanessa through twitter {She has a widget on her phone and it's turned on all day. Oh, and she uses TweetDeck at home and at work! lol. Addicted much? Yeahhh}

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading and it asks us to...

Grab your current read

Open to a random page

Share a couple of “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title & author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers.

Isalys's Teaser:

"It was one of the biggest gambles of my life. Once, I would have run to him without question, ignoring our problems, overjoyed just to be with him. Now...after everything I'd been through, I'd changed. I loved him so much, and I wanted him. But it was because of the strength of that love that I had to do this. If we're going to be together, we had to do it the right way."

~p. 486 of "Last Sacrifice" {Vampire Academy # 6} by Richelle Mead

Vanessa's Teaser:

"Don't waste this on me," he said, and added pressure to his fingertips. I knew he could feel how fast my heart was beating. "Why not?" I heard myself whisper, and he pressed his palm against my heart. "It's too amazing," he said. "And I can't give you mine."

IMPORTANT: Book ♥ Soulmates Disclosure

In accordance with the new FTC Guidelines for blogging and endorsements, Book ♥ Soulmates would like everyone to know that the books featured / discussed on our blog were either provided to the reviewers by the publisher or the author for free OR were purchased by us. The ones we receive for free DO NOT influence our opinion of the book/author. -- Your Book ♥ Soulmates